but i don't even have a woodshed

So, how do other brass players manage to practice after they graduate?

I am currently staying with family. I didn’t think my sanity would survive this long, but somehow it remains intact. This can probably be attributed to my current schedule, which consists of hiding in my room and practicing all day. One of the side effects of this lifestyle is that I have completely lost the ability to hold a conversation with non-musicians, because I simply don’t do anything else. As for "balance" or "mental health," well, I’ll get back to you after I have a job. Mental health is clearly overrated, and I can’t do anything about it anyway until I have a job that provides health insurance.¹

I tried practicing at my father’s condo a few times, but finally one of the neighbors complained, and so now I can’t really visit him until after he finishes his move.² In the woman’s defense, she was extremely nice and apologetic about it. On the other hand, it was the middle of the day and there were no mitigating circumstances offered.³ Basically what it comes down to is that I can’t comfortably practice when I know that it’s pissing people off. As it stands, I am currently living in a house with five other people, and while no one here has complained and they’re all gracious enough to pretend that they enjoy it, I still feel a little guilty from time to time. Trombone practice is not the most enthralling to listen to, nor is it the quietest.⁴

So, what is everyone else doing? Apartment practice is highly impractical and makes people angry. Those of us that need to practice the most can’t exactly afford a house. Now that I’m no longer a student I can’t live in use the school practice rooms anymore. And the Silent Brass system and/or practice mutes are only temporary solutions and will do strange things to your playing if used exclusively, as most brass player can probably attest to.

Living with my family does make me a little twitchy, but I could go get a crap job somewhere and make enough to move out if I really needed to. However, not only would a job severely impact my current practice schedule⁵, I would also be hard-pressed to find a place to rent that I could practice in for 5+ hours a day without making others’ lives miserable. I can’t be the only musician in this situation. So... what is everyone else doing?

Seriously, tell me. I need to know.




(yes, i am still enamored with footnotes. i'll get bored with them soon enough.)

1. Although being uninsured is pretty awesome. [↩]


2. I can hear you thinking the word "obsessive" right now. Stop it.[↩]


3. i.e. “someone’s trying to sleep”[↩]


4. Long tones and slow slurs at fortissimo for an hour? Rock on.[↩]


5. and my will to live[↩]